Heather Sanders founded Sorella in 2012 along with her partner, Brittney Turner, with the mindset of being a girl boss and providing other female hustlers with stylish pieces to feel fierce in. The two used their personal Instagram accounts to promote the brand and even went on to open a physical store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. With much hard work and determination, Sorella has grown to be one the most popular online boutiques with over 800,000 followers on Instagram. Lala Anthony, Megan The Stallion and Teyana Taylor are just a few to rock some of her pieces.
The brand is best known for their popular #GirlsTour movement which was created to promote body-positivity in fearless, strong and independent women of all ages. The initiative has now grown into a nationwide campaign to further drive the founders’ mission of women empowerment on a national level.
Heather was featured on Forbes.com and did an interview with Danielle D. Hughes below:
DH: You've allowed the world to get a glimpse of some of your most personal family moments with your YouTube channel; 'Heather & Trell's Family.' With over 100k subscribers, how important do you think it is to show your audience the raw and unfiltered side of your life and business?
HS: I think it’s very important to show the real, raw uncut version. With social media, it’s so over saturated and people create such a happy façade. Everyone tries to make their lives seem so perfect that we don’t actually get to see the hard work, the grind and the troubles that everyone has. I’ve used my YouTube platform as an avenue to share that behind the scenes. I was always so shy to even be on camera. Now, I feel like people can see a different side of me and to show people how it really is behind an Instagram photo.
DH: You created Sorella Boutique as a 20-year-old with no formal fashion training. What were the main factors that contributed to your success as a startup?
HS: The main factors that contributed to my success when I first started were for sure faith and consistency. I know those may seem like super cliché answers but it really is the core to wanting to start anything of your own. Hard work beats talent. You have to stay consistent.
DH: We put so much emphasis on self-care these days. As a seasoned entrepreneur and mother of two small children, how important is it to create a work-life balance to avoid burnout?
HS: In the beginning, I was not able to balance the two. With my first baby, I kind of put my feet in the water to balance out her and Sorella. After my second one, I literally dug myself into a hole – not knowing how to balance the two. I had postpartum depression and I gained more weight after I had my baby. I was trying to put equal amounts of myself into my children and my business and it wasn’t working. I would love to stay at Sorella until midnight like I did when I was 20 years old but I now have other responsibilities so it’s extremely important for me to prioritize my time to make it home to my kids. I always worked so hard and never understood the importance of a break or a vacation until I experienced that burnout. So, I was forced to give myself a break because if I can’t take care of myself, I can’t take care of anything else. It’s super important to have a self-care routine.
DH: You're a social media maven with a following of over 1 million. Top 3 tips for entrepreneurs looking to build businesses in a digital world? How do you keep your audience active and engaged?
HS: I would say again, consistency. Posting content consistently. Staying true to yourself and whatever it is you’re putting out on social media. Know yourself and push that every single day. Making people feel it and feel as though they can connect to you.
Read more here at FORBES SORELLA and support theSORELLA brand.
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